Letters Home from a Yankee Doughboy 1916-1919

On September 26, the 1st Battalion of the 103rd attacked Riaville and Marcheville as a diversion for a large combined Allied assault on Verdun and Rheims by the 1st American Army and 4th French Army.

There had been no opportunity for reconnaissance, and with the conditions of the roads it was impossible to provide the troops with proper rations. Poor visibilility contributed to a general lack of liason among the involved units and they were driven back several times with heavy casualties by heavy enemy artillery and machine gun fire from reinforced gun emplacements.

This repulse was also followed by a severe German gas attack on the front-line units near Champlon in retaliation…